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Hello All, I've been "stalking" the boards for some time now ... and I went to the informational seminar in December. I met with the therapist and I have done the medically supervised diet plan ... now here I am. I go to meet with Dr. Singh this afternoon over by St Agnes Hospital in Maryland. I have mixed emotions as the more I read, I am relieved by your successes, and so afraid of my own potential failure, or surgical complications. I just wanted to reach out and say hello, and let you guys know that I may need some hand-holding!!! Please wish me luck on my journey, and I hope to be as much of an asset to you as you all have been to me.

I think for the most part a lot of us sit online Pre-Op reading all the information we can get our hands on and we see that there are people post-op who put up posts about not being able to tolorate certain foods and complications so we just assume at some point during our journy we'll have the same experience and when we don't it becomes worrisome. I myself am 3 months out -48lbs and I have had 0 foods that i've had issues with and I am also able to drink protein drinks and water just fine.

I think I asked this before and I still have a difficult time wrapping my mind around your situation? So your pouch is enlarged and now they're going to wrap a band around it? Do they remodel the rest of the pouch below the band if it's dilated? At any rate, good luck with this and lean on us if you struggle with portions sizes and any complications from the band. tmf

Sleeve all the way. Too many complications and generally poor results with plication as it's being performed now. Maybe in a few years it will improve like the sleeve did. If you don't want to wait, get a sleeve, I love, love, love mine.

Very common after any surgery. Once you get a DVD you are predisposed to getting them again. If you take any form of birth control of hormonal replacement therapy (sorry, I don't know how old you are!), please let your PCP or OBGYN know that you developed this complication. If you used to smoke before surgery, give it up permanently. Good luck to you, and you were so smart to know what to look for and seek medical help. Btw, to the other posters, those anti-embolic stockings (TED hose) are sold everywhere. You can get them at any drug store or WalMart. They're in the old people aisle. Lol!

Just got the call! Have to be in at 5:30 am extremely nervous, but also excited. Not sure how many friends and family I have that are actually in support of this and it's taken me many years to come to this decision along with this past year of getting clearances! All my drs can agree on seem to be this procedure! I truly hope I have no complication and that I am making the right choice. Thank you to this support groups for at least giving a safe place to voice my journey !

Hi Joe! I just met a bandster who is an EMT recently. He was taking about three weeks off but after that expected to go back to work full-force. My doc's instructions about exercise and strenuous work are basically that by the time you'll feel like doing it you'll be healed enough and it won't be a problem. Laying on your side/stomach is just a matter of time and healing. I sleep on my left (port) side all the time and while I can feel it there is no discomfort at all. The only time it might be a problem is if you're laying down on a hard surface, but then you could just shift around a little till it's comfortable. By the time you've lost lots of weight you'll be more concerned about your bones sticking out than your port! The port is not at all obvious under my skin, but I have a ways to go yet. If it ever becomes a problem I know there is a smaller port that can be installed, a "low-profile" port. But that would involve another scar so I'm probably not ever going to go there. Of course it's possible to "eat around" the band. Calories are calories, and if you take in too many you won't lose or may even gain. The band makes it MUCH easier, though, to eat healthfully and in appropriate portions. That's really all there is to it. And IMO, the band is perfect for anyone who wants to lose weight and who isn't in immediate need of results. If the patient is willing to see the pounds come off at a measured pace of 5-10 lbs a month, banding is the answer. Measure that pace of weight loss against the risk of complications with other surgeries, and you'll see why we picked the one we did. Good luck, to both you and your mom!

It is so totally normal to be scared. I was too. Not only is it SURGERY with all of the possible complications, but then you have to go through the emotional aftermath. I made it through the surgery and now I am dealing with having to find another outlet for stress. I'm not sure I know how not to be fat, since like you, I have been overweight almost my entire life. I'm just trying to say (and not very well) that the surgery is so much more than having most of your stomach removed. It changes you fundamentally. And that's more than difficult. I am so happy I went through with it, and have no regrets, but I'm back to seeing a therapist to help me deal with the huge change I have made with my life. Good luck, let us know what you decide to do. -Kendra

Any advice. I finally made it to the puree food diet because I had some complications. Any advice? Sent from my 5054N using the BariatricPal App

Just wanted to write and say....you are going to do good at this! God is going to take care of you and I pray He gives you a peace about the surgery. I know He will be with us all. I too have major depression and I have Bipolar. I am doing well on these meds and my psychiatrist said take them they night before surgery and I shouldn't have any complications. My psychiatrist first recommended this surgery as I have gained 120 lbs in 4 years due to psych meds and increased appetite. Trust in Him in all things! I am praying for us all.....

Hello MsMook, welcome to VST!! I'm a revision patient as well. There's a lot to know, so it would be more helpful if you might give us a little background on your situation. Don't be shy - when it comes to the band there is bound to be someone here who has lived what you're going through, in all kinds of complications scenarios. Ask lots of questions... we are always willing to either lend an ear or help out.

Congrats on your weight loss! My surgeon never gave direct instructions on anything in particular. However I did take it upon myself to take it easy and allow myself time to heal. That's exactly what i did even when I felt better I didnt lift my daughter, no core exercises, and no lifting over 10lbs. I was super paranoid with my port and my surgeon said less than 2% have this complication. What are the odds again right? LOL! I am still a little leery on exercises that pertain to my core area but slowly starting to do just a little at a time. My kink came from scar tissue not forming quick enough to keep up with the drastic weight loss in the beginning so it shifted my port just enough to kink the tubing.Take time to heal and you will be good as new. I was upset with the 2nd surgery and started to doubt my decision but now I realize it was a bump in the road and I am back on track. Keep up all the good work!

Hello Everyone. My name is Miranda and I am going into my consultation on June 12th. I have insurance with Kaiser in so cal. My doctor recommended me and I guess I will have to see how things go. I Hope I qualify. I'm not looking for the surgery and a way to improve my looks..and for me its not really about being skinny.. I would be happy at 250. (which was about how much I weighted at 15) I already feel confidant.For me it is mainly about health and being able to be more active. I love to dance and go out to clubs ect.. I want to be able to last longer without getting to tired. Im also not doing it to get in someones good graces.. Ive been with my boyfriend for 5 years (on june 17th) and when he met me I was around 325. He doesn't want me to have the surgery..he thinks that with my bad luck something will happen to me complication wise and he will loose me. Ive had a few friends that did the gastric bypass, but all I can say is that If im not approved for the surgery with the band I absolutely wont have It. My biggest worry with the surgery is with loose skin.. Its a problem I don't have now. and most of my weight is in my thighs or butt.. I have the stomach of someone who is like 200 lbs.. and I don't want a saggy butt. Other then that I have the stupid thoughts of...well If I get the surgery I cant go to all you can eat sushi with the bf... The things that are in my head lol. I am 5'9 about 380 right now..and as I said most of my weight is in my lower half. here are a few recent pics of me.. the guy is said BF and yes the hair is fake.

Okay today, I was trying to take vitimans because I am getting the early signs of a cold. One of the vitimans did not agree with me. So of course it came up eventually. Well now I keep burping and I have to keep sallowing, plus my mouth is watering.I know last time this happened I had complications and had to go get an unfill. I was just saying how good the fill was.

I was diagnosed with gastroparesis a few years ago and am considering getting the lap band and I'm wanting to talk to someone else that had gastroparesis before getting the lap band and find out if they had any problems or complications because of it. And I also have severe acid reflux. I feel like it would help my gastroparesis but have been reading some things that are making me think otherwise now. I'm just so tired of being fat but don't want to spend the money and end up having to get it removed if it makes it worse. Sent from my SM-G920V using the BariatricPal App

My band was put in on 6-4-07, the happiest day of my life. Over the next year I managed to lose 55 pounds with lots of HARD WORK and EXERCISE....about 3 weeks ago, I began to notice changes in my body. I was having more variations in my diet because some foods went down so much easier than others. And I am sorry, if I have not been able to eat hard Protein all day long, by the time the evening come around, my body is weak and trembling and HUNGRY. Mind you, I had 1.8 cc in a 4.0 band. Anyway, I resorted to eating more high caloric soft foods such as ice cream, so that I could have some caloric intake. This went on for a few days and I knew that I needed to see a doctor as the weight was starting to creep back on. The only problem, was that my surgeon retired 4 months after my procedure and left no follow up instructions. At the time, I was really OK with this because at the time of his retirement, I was losing relatively well and easy and had been told that my body would never need another fill as I had recently had to have a slight defill. So last week I began looking for a doctor and started feeling worse and worse, more tired and more tired. Labor day, I was in the hospital with my daughter who was having surgery the next day, and I began to feel sick. I went/vomited in the bathroom several times and then realized I was having pain. Suspecting a slip, I walked over to the ER to check myself in. The next 24 hours are a blur to me as my pain became so intense. My BP was 175/157, low grade temp., pain so intense it radiated through my abdomen, chest, back, both shoulders, and jaw, sever nausea, vomiting bright red blood spots; at one time they did and ekg because they thought I might be having a heart attack. They did plain xrays on my which showed nothing and told me to go home and follow up with wichever lap band doc i could find, and i forced them to admit me for pain control and to consult with a surgeon. The next mid-morning my pain became more intense, bowel sounds stopped, pain meds were doubled and given twice as often and nothing touched the pain i was in...nothing. I was given a CAT scan to look at the band and was told I did indeed have an extremem slip to where my entire fundus had passed above the band and yes I had the stitch method used to prevent the band from slipping. That night my wonderful surgeon came and removed the band. He said when they first saw the stomack it was COAL black. He was afraid I was going to have it surgerically removed. Luckily, when he removed the band, the tissue above the band began to turn deep purple which meant the blood was beginning to return. There is one small spot on my stomach that did die, but my surgeon says that will scar over in time. I am only 5 days post op from band removal and still very emotional. I am so happy that it's out. I was told about complications of slippage and erosion, but NO ONE every told me about complications of possible neucrosis. I have no an idea of why what happened, happened. I followed ALL band rules to the tee! I keep replaying the whole thing over and over in my head and realize how close I was to losing my life. If I had indeed developed gangrene, I may not be alive right now. NO I WOULD NOT RECEIVE ANOTHER LAP BAND NOR RECOMMEND LAP BAND TO ANYONE. _______ If you have a slippage....please have it removed!

I am so there with you. I am nervous too, its still surgery and complications can still occur no matter how many questions, research, or discussion with previous operated people. I am trying to relax by doing things that keep me calm, for me its movies and listening to music. So guess what I am doing for the next few days, yep sticking to enjoying relaxing movies that takes my mind off it. Plus spending time with my family.

I didn't tell mine until I got back. We are actually good friends, and he was a little upset that I didn't tell him ahead of time. But he's should be used to it. I also found my own neurosurgeon and scheduled my own neck fusion surgery after he diagnosed me with bone spurs and stenosis in my neck. He admitted he would have disapproved (that's why I didn't tell him). But my successful weight loss and outstanding 6 month bloodwork has convinced him that my crazy Mexico surgery adventure wasn't such a bad idea. And I know he would have done whatever it took to make sure I was taken care of if I had had any surgical complications.

I hope it goes well I'm really hoping they let you know everything before you leave! I'm worried too! I want to know everything so it do it perfectly so there is no complications after

When I went I first met to discuss surgery my BMI was 35.5. My family has a history of diabetes and high cholesterol. Heart complications from the diabetes have been an issue and it all seems to start about age 50. I’m 47. After much discussion with my nutritionist and my doctor - with a million times trying to lose weight my entire life - we decided on surgery to ensure these genetic issues would not be an issue. I had a vertebral artery dissection (spontaneous - had been is great health) at the age of 40. After the stroke I gained weight AGAIN and never could lose it. No matter what I did. Bypass because after an endoscopy it was discovered I have A typical reflux - I had NO idea! I felt nothing and my esophagus was burned badly. I also found out I had a hiatal hernia. So long long story short - there you go - :)

Well, a fill would be required if you are hungry all the time.. other wise maybe you don't need it. Before the fill it was just healing mostly, and you were on mushies and liquids thats why you lost more weight. Yea just make little tweeks and see if that helps. I'm more liberal on my diet than a lot of people. I want it to be realistic. I eat a good 1200 calories a day. I'm not one of those people that eats like 1 egg for Breakfast, and 1/4 cup of tuna for lunch.. and I'm losing 1-3lbs a week. It's all complicated! One week I go balls to the wall 5 days a week, INTENSE exercise and I lose a pound. Which I HATE, and makes it feel so useless when you don't lose much, and spend 6 hours in the gym. The next week, I do some walking, or an exercise video for maybe 4 days, not nearly as intense and I lose a pound or two. I'm trying to figure out the right balance. The body is just fickle I guess.

Hey y'all! my name is Holly, and my surgery is also this Friday! its at 1030am in Atlanta, Ga by Dr.Macik! SO very excited but nervous as well, itll be my first time being put to sleep, EVER so that scares me most! zpearle you will be fine, ChefGabbie is right, many surgeons only require a two week no carb diet like mine, with only liquids the day prior. Ive even heard of some banders preop diet consisting of ONLY 2 days of liquid prior to surgery. I pray that we all three have amazingly succesful surgeries.Lets all stay in touch after surgery to keep up with each other's progress, complications, etc! ONE MORE DAY LADIES------->;=]

Thanks for the reply. I saw a couple of other positive post today also of people doing well post op without complications. I am praying that will be me also.

It all comes to personal choice. I would strongly suggest doing your homework before making a decision. Both procedures have their pros and cons, and unfortunately both procedures have their myths too. Research the actual medical facts, not just anecdotal evidence here. They did a very large study, over 4000 Lap Band patients, and found that about 8% suffer complications. It's also very important to take in account the number of people with slips, complications, and needing removal because they abused their band. Unfortunately that number is scary high. It seems either surgeons aren't educating their patients enough or people are foolishly ignoring their instructions, but whatever the case I've seen more cases of complications because of patient negligence than I can count. How much you lose with the band is entirely up to you. Whether or not you keep that weight off is also up to you. The band is just a tool, not a magic fix for fat, and to be successful with it requires you to change your eating habits for a lifetime. Best wishes with whichever you decide!

Most of us are emotional eaters...which is why we are in the fix we're in. Is it possible that because you did well at Disney, you somehow feel entitled to cheat now that you are home? In other words, are you 'rewarding' yourself for doing well by eating not so well now? I don't mean to try to analyze you but even you think this is head hunger. Sometimes head hunger is just boredom, but sometimes it's much more complicated than that. I think that for everyone who does well in a challenging situation and feels empowered, there are those who do well in a challenging situation and then promptly sabotage their success. Again, this might not apply to you at all and you might think I'm talking out my a**. I'm just putting it out there and if I'm totally off base, apologies to you.